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There have been some dramatic events in the United States this year. But you may have missed one of them.

The priorities of Joe Biden’s presidency became clearer on New Year’s Day when Nancy Pelosi, Democrat Speaker of the US House of Representatives, proposed new rules for the conduct of the House.

The new rules narrowly passed along party lines on 4 January. One requires “gender-neutral language” in the official House rules document.

From now on, terms such as “mother”, “father”, “son”, daughter”, “brother” and “sister” must go - and “parent”, “child” and “sibling” used instead. “Himself” and “herself” must be changed to “themself”(!).

Australian commentator Gerard Henderson says: “It’s easy to make fun of such rules and wonder what will become of the likes of Mother’s Day and Father’s Day. However, this action is a strike at the ordinary language of Americans.”

It’s a strike against our language too. The push to eliminate any distinction between men and women has been going on for some time in Australia. Just not quite that far – for now.

Yet the Bible says right at the beginning that God created humans in two different forms: “male and female He created them” (Genesis 1:27).

The differences are not only in physical appearance and sexual function. Some years ago, a FamilyVoice resource paper noted:

“While mothers and fathers are both physical with their children, fathers are typically physical in different ways.  Fathers tend to play with their children, and mothers tend to care for them.  Generally speaking, fathers tickle more, they wrestle, and they throw their children in the air (while mothers warn, “Not so high!”).  Fathers are louder at play, while mothers are quieter.  Mothers cuddle babies, and fathers bounce them.  Fathers roughhouse, while mothers are gentle.  Fathers encourage competition; mothers encourage equity.  Fathers encourage independence while mothers encourage security…

“Go to any playground and listen to the parents there. Who is often encouraging kids to swing or climb just a little higher, ride their bike just a little faster, or throw just a little harder? Who is encouraging kids to be careful? Mothers tend toward caution while fathers often encourage kids to push the limits. Joined together, they keep each other in balance and help children remain safe while expanding their experiences and confidence.”

Some people claim that these differences are merely the result of social conditioning – the way boys and girls are treated by their families.

But scientists are increasingly finding that the differences are hard-wired in the brain. US psychology professor Diane Halpern reports:

“In a study of 34 rhesus monkeys, for example, males strongly preferred toys with wheels over plush toys, whereas females found plush toys likable. It would be tough to argue that the monkeys’ parents bought them sex-typed toys or that simian society encourages its male offspring to play more with trucks. A much more recent study established that boys and girls 9 to 17 months old — an age when children show few if any signs of recognizing either their own or other children’s sex — nonetheless show marked differences in their preference for stereotypically male versus stereotypically female toys.”

Mothers and fathers have important differences, and their children ideally need both. Vive la difference!

Peter Downie - National Director

FamilyVoice Australia

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I hope you had a marvellous Christmas and New Year, reflecting on what God has done for you last year and looking ahead to what He has in store for you this coming year.

That is what I would like to do in this first email of the New Year for FamilyVoice.

2020 was a year like no other that I have experienced. It started smoothly enough and then got bumpy. God seemed to want to shake the world up somewhat. Nevertheless, He has continued to look after His people including us here at FamilyVoice. For this we are deeply grateful to Him.

As the lockdowns because of the virus became enforced, God’s people were not able to meet. Our State Directors could no longer speak in churches. The future looked dire indeed. But then with the help of some miraculous technology things open up. Using Zoom to conduct webinars we have been able to reach many thousands of people. Some were faithful supporters but many were new.

Praise the Lord!

These webinars covered a host of subjects. The response to them was overwhelming. For each webinar there have been new people added to our mailing list. This has given us a real lift.

In addition to the webinars, we have concentrated on several campaigns. Each State Director took these on in addition to their State’s responsibilities. The Lord has been pleased to bless these endeavours.

Peter Stevens is heading up the 365Life campaign that partners with 27 other pro-life groups. This is working to save babies. He also heads up the Age of Innocence campaign. This is bringing the message that “Porn Harms Kids” to our politicians. This is getting real traction for change in this area.

Greg Bondar is leading the Religious Freedom campaign to try to keep our hard-won rights. Mark Latham MLC along with Greg is leading the charge. Greg is also spearheading our campaign to limit the effects of problem gambling especially on our youth.

David d’Lima has taken on the Gender Dysphoria campaign. This is making real progress to help protect children from horrific treatments. New legal victories are helping to keep children safe. This includes the victory by Tasmanian Senator Claire Chandler.

Darryl Budge is running a campaign to protect women from mail-in abortion pills. This new policy initiated during the coronavirus pandemic leaves women in a terrible situation. Darryl is working on this with some pro-life parliamentarians.

Jerome Appleby our National Policy Officer has been defending Margaret Court against her many attackers. Margaret is a world champion with an unbroken record. Instead of honouring Margaret Court, many in the “woke” community attack her for her stand on marriage.

In the New Year we are planning to continue to fight on various fronts including:

  • Abortion in SA
  • Conversion Therapy Ban in VIC & SA
  • Abortion Censorship Zones in WA
  • Zoe’s Law in NSW
  • Euthanasia in TAS, QLD, SA & NSW

Your donation to help put us in a strong financial position to start the New Year would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you for your continued support as we work tirelessly to defend Family, Faith and Freedom in Australia.

Peter Downie - National Director

FamilyVoice Australia

Sen Matt OSullivan for web

WA Liberal Senator Matt O’Sullivan has written to federal Health Minister Greg Hunt, following the FamilyVoice campaign to stop funding for medical abortion approvals by phone.

COVID restrictions have meant that a woman can phone a doctor – who may not know her – and be prescribed the abortion pill RU486 to take at home. This can put the woman at greater risk.

“Due to the nature of a telehealth consultation, it is not possible to conduct a necessary ultrasound in order to determine the exact gestation of the pregnancy,” Mr O’Sullivan told Mr Hunt a month before the Budget.

“As medical abortion is only available in Australia for terminations of pregnancies less than nine weeks gestation, (an ultrasound) is an important detail to have correct before prescribing (abortion) medication.

“Another important issue is that of reproductive coercion, which has been noted as a serious problem by organisations like Children by Choice and Marie Stopes. With the virtual aspect of a telehealth appointment, it seems almost impossible that such a system could account for the insidious nature of coercion.”

Matt O’Sullivan (42) has two children with Montanique, his wife of 21 years. He was elected to the Senate last year.

He was formerly an electrical technician and a church youth worker. For some years he also helped train indigenous young people and place them in permanent jobs.

In his maiden speech on 30 July 2019, he told the Senate: “My faith is an integral part of my life. I am a Christian, and I believe and affirm the Apostles’ Creed.

“In my late 20s, I seriously considered studying theology and becoming a minister of religion. But, while my faith was, and still is, a very important part of my life, I came to the realisation that being a pastor wasn’t the right path for me.”

FamilyVoice WA Director Darryl Budge is delighted that Senator O’Sullivan is putting his Christian faith into practice by speaking up for the most vulnerable members of society – the unborn, and quite a few of their mothers.

“Medicare funding for phone abortions teaches society that children are an inconvenient cost during this COVID-19 crisis, even though they are our future,” Mr Budge said.

“The Australian government is facing the lowest population growth in a century, while it funds over 70,000 abortions each year. It should instead simplify adoption – and fund counselling, compassionate care, family-support services and pregnancy crisis centres.”

Note: The Trump administration has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to halt the legal delivery by mail of abortion pills.

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Members of the ‘left wing movement’ in the NSW parliament are again pushing ahead with a bill to legalise euthanasia.

If this bill goes ahead NSW will become known as the ‘Killing State’ having legalised Abortion and rejected Zoe’s Law.

Alex Greenwich MP announced last week that he will begin the process of drafting so-called “assisted dying laws” which is a euphemistic term for legalised killing.

Everyone in NSW must send a strong message to MPs that they cannot allow this proposal to go ahead as there is overwhelming anecdotal opposition to these laws within communities and indeed doctors, health practitioners and counsellors.

According to the Australian Medical Association, “Euthanasia is the act of deliberately ending the life of a patient for the purpose of ending intolerable pain or suffering”. Physician-assisted suicide (PAS) occurs “where the assistance of the medical practitioner is intentionally directed at enabling an individual to end his or her own life” and usually this involves the provision of a prescription. 

“Moral opposition to both euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide has been a feature of both the Hippocratic and the Judeo-Christian tradition from earliest times. This is particularly striking in view of the commitment of both traditions to the relief of suffering and care of the dying,” said Greg Bondar NSW State Director.

“The legalisation of euthanasia and assisted suicide by its very nature places the lives of those in NSW at risk.

“NSW MPs should recognise the reality that an ‘appropriate’ legal framework to kill people, or to assist them to kill themselves is impossible.”

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Last Sunday, Christian blogger Bill Muehlenberg commented:

“Just a few days ago I was asked if I thought we were living in the last days. I get asked this quite often. I replied as I usually do … In one sense we have been living in the last days for 2000 years now…”

True. At various times throughout history, there have been wars, rumours of wars, nations rising against other nations, earthquakes, famines, pestilences, false prophets, fearful events and great signs from heaven – all mentioned by Jesus as things that must take place (Matthew 24 and Luke 21).

The Apostle Paul wrote about the great increase in evil expected in the end times:

“In the last days … people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power.” (2 Timothy 3)

These things certainly ring bells today. Not only have we had a horror year of COVID-19 pestilence, we are also seeing more and more horror laws proposed or passed in this and other countries.

Many states and territories now allow unborn babies to be aborted until birth, if two doctors (possibly at the same commercial clinic) agree. Laws even prohibit prayer near places where the babies are “terminated”.

The Victorian parliament is on the verge of enacting an “anti-gay-conversion” bill. It would penalise – with jail terms – counsellors, therapists, parents or pastors who seek, by prayer or gentle persuasion, to help young people appreciate their biological sex. More and more, people are facing persecution for speaking the truth: even for praying.

Some 2000 years ago when Christ was born in Bethlehem, the world was full of suffering, fear, tension and evil. The Jews were an oppressed people, ruled by the occupying Roman Empire. Herod the puppet king had no qualms about slaughtering all the babies and toddlers he believed might threaten his position.

By contrast, when Jesus came, He taught us of the especial need to protect “little ones”. He said:

“Things that cause people to stumble are bound to come, but woe to anyone through whom they come. It would be better for them to be thrown into the sea with a millstone tied around their neck than to cause one of these little ones to stumble. So watch yourselves.” (Luke 17)                                                             

In those days, Bethlehem was not a place of peace and goodwill (and still isn’t). But God sent Jesus – God with us. He told us to obey His commandments, even when obedience brings us hate.

We can be encouraged by Jesus’ words: “See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet… the gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.” (Matthew 24)

We in FamilyVoice continue seeking to advance God’s kingdom. And we pray that you may hang in there with us – your support and prayers make this ministry possible.

And I wish you and your loved ones a Christmas and New Year filled with Christ’s love, peace, hope and joy.

Peter Downie - National Director

FamilyVoice Australia